[tUnE-yArDs played Starlight Theatre opening for Arcade Fire, April 26.]

2. Mac DeMarco – “Salad Days”
from: Salad Days / captured Tracks / April 1, 2014
[McBriare Samuel Lanyon “Mac” DeMarco, born Vernor Winfield McBriare Smith IV, is a Canadian musician born April 30, 1990, in Duncan, British Columbia. Formerly recording as Makeout Videotape, he has produced three solo albums, Rock and Roll Night Club, 2, and Salad Days. His style has been described as “blue wave”, or “slacker rock”. He is a multi-instrumentalist as well as a multimedia artist.]

3. Pete Seeger – “Wimoweh (Live)”
from: The Complete Bowdoin College Concert 1960 / Smithsonia Folkways / April 17, 2012
[Targeted by the infamous House Un-American Activities Committee, blacklisted, and under indictment for contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions about his political beliefs, Pete Seeger persevered, traveling throughout North America and performing “community concerts” in schools and local venues. This 1960 concert captures the mood of the time and the enormity of Seeger’s talent as performer, song leader, and social activist. In March of 1960, at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, a campus radio station recorded a Pete Seeger concert. The 8 reel-to-reel tapes made that night were recast into a 2-CD set, released April 17, 2012 from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. The Complete Bowdoin College Concert 1960, the first-ever complete release of one of his community concerts, Seeger performs early versions of songs that would, in just a few years, captivate the entire nation, including anti-war ballad “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”]

[Black Lips play The Riot Room, tonight, April 30 with Natural Child and The Conquerors]

7. The Clementines – “In Yesterday”
from: Someday / Over [EP] / Independent / May 9, 2014
[We first met The Clementines as a duo of Tim Jenkins & Nicole Springer when they played LIVE on WMM April 25, 2012. Since then they’ve become a solid 4-piece band with songwriter Nicole Springer on vocals, rhythm guitar, Tim Jenkins on lead guitar and mandolin, Travis Earnshaw on bass, and Aaron Derington on drums.]

[The Clementines play a Special EP Release Show at Voodoo Lounge with Katy Guillen & the Girls , and the B’Dinas, Friday, May 9.]

10:30 – Interview with Emily Behrmann

Emily Behrmann is General Manager of the Performing Arts Series at Johnson County Community College presenting cutting-edge performances, celebrity names, diverse cultures, dance and music. Emily joins us today to talk about their upcoming season of shows.

Performing Arts Series at Johnson County Community College, 12345 College Boulevard, Overland Park, KS. For more information about the Performing Arts Series at Johnson County Community College, you can call (913) 469-4445 or visit http://www.jccc.edu/TheSeries

[Kristie Stremel and her band perform at 6:00 p.m. Friday, May 2, at the Replay Lounge in Lawrence, and 7:00 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at the RecordBar, 1020 Westport Rd. with Joe’s Pet Project. More info at: http://www.kristiestremel.com.]

10:49 – Interview with Kristie Stremel

Songwriter is Kristie Stremel‘s 6th solo recording, and the 9th of her musical career of over 20 years. Released April 1, 2014, on Kristie’s own label Stremeltone, it is her first self-produced album. Described as “Joan Jett & Tom Petty’s lovechild,” armed with her guitar, fueled by coffee, and over 75 published songs, Kristie Stremel continues to tour with a band and as a solo artist. In the past year she has played with Margaret Cho and Chely Wright on stage at The Folly, with Girls With Guitars at The Uptown Theatre, Out in The Crossroads, numerous festivals around the country a while writing and recording and producing. And in October, Kristie and her partner, Lori Isabell, welcomed their adopted baby son, Charlie into their family.

Songwriter was Produced by Kristie Stremel, Mixed by Lou Whitney (who has produced several of Kristie’s albums), Mastered by Eric Shuckmann

For her new record, Kristie reunited with Kansas City based guitar hero – Chris Meck, who played on her 2001, debut solo release, “All I Really Want.” Kristie has called Chris her sidekick and friend, but the two hadn’t played together in over 10 years.

Chris went on to form The Gaslights with Abigail Henderson. Chris is currently performing as Chris Meck and The Guilty Birds.

In the KC Star piece about you Tim Finn interviewed famed musician and producer Lou Whitney who in 2001 produced Kristie Stremel’s first solo full-length, “All I Really Want,” for Slewfoot Records. You said that Lou Whitney was… “my mentor, a father figure,”

In the KC Star piece Lou Whitney said, “…when he saw she you were coming to play a gig in Springfield, (he) went over to watch.” What he saw and heard, he said, was raw but promising.

“I thought she had all the ingredients,” he said. “The songs were poppy efforts to write songs that might actually do something. She was writing personal stuff but couching it in this rock-pop way.”

Kristie has always written about the personal stuff, love, the heart, desire, family.

“Well Alright” is one of the songs about Kristie and her partner Lori Isabell.

“Oh, you are a stubborn girl, wrapped up in a corporate world / And I’m an indie child, with a streak of wild / They gave us looks and they had their doubts / We were set to figure it out / I said ‘We’re different songs,’ you said, ‘Won’t it be fun?’ / Well, alright.”

[Kristie Stremel and her band perform at 6:00 p.m. Friday, May 2, at the Replay Lounge in Lawrence, and 7:00 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at the RecordBar, 1020 Westport Rd. with Joe’s Pet Project. More info at: http://www.kristiestremel.com.]

11:00 – Station ID

Rocker mom Kristie Stremel joined us to talk about her new record, Songwriter, on Kristie’s own label Stremeltone.

Kristie told Tim Finn in the KC Star Article published last week, “The weight of bringing a new, little creature home was a little overwhelming at first,” she said. “But it has been everything I wanted it to be. I’ve always wanted to have a child. Sometimes, desire is all it takes. If you desire it, it will come to you.”

“I’ve met a lot of musicians, mostly guys, who had to quit music because they started families,” she said. “I could kind of get that in my head, but I couldn’t understand why they had to quit completely when they were so good at it.

“I have a different perspective now that I have a kid, and maybe it will change. But I can’t see giving up music for anything.”

[Quotes from KC Star article written by Tim Finn, April 24, 2014]

Stremeltone Records, with studios created in Kristie’s own home in Lawrence, give this is the flexibility to work from home, and are also part of the musical evolution where musicians are their own agents, producers, labels, marketing, tour managers. Being a 21st century musician requires multiple skills in addition to writing and playing.

The new century also brings huge changes in how our society defines family. You have been an out and proud open lesbian rock and roller from the very beginning. Kristie has done countless benefits for LGBT charities and The LikeMe Lighthouse. Her generation has forged new equality for same-sex marriage, recognized now in 17 states.

The last track on “It’s Enough” was released early, as a video, featuring photos of couples in partnerships, relationships, marriages, unions, families. The video was Kristie’s response the the Kansas House of Representatives passing HD 2453 allowing business the right to refuse service to LGBT customers. The bill eventually died in the Kansas Senate.

[Kristie Stremel and her band perform at 6:00 p.m. Friday, May 2, at the Replay Lounge in Lawrence, and 7:00 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at the RecordBar, 1020 Westport Rd. with Joe’s Pet Project. More info at: http://www.kristiestremel.com.]

[Carswell & Hope play the recordBar, tonight, April 30, with Wells The Traveler, and Kasey Rausch.]

11:19 – Interview with Nick Carswell & Don Simon

Nick Carswell is a busy guy. He is a founding member of the Lawrence based band Carswell & Hope, Silly Goose Records, and InterUrban ArtHouse joins us to discuss Silly Goose Records MXM2014 Mix/Master, Saturday, May 3, 2014 at The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St. A day of music workshops, panel discussion and info sessions, followed by a live showcase concert featuring: The Phantastics, Sunu, Pink Royal, Carswell & Hope, Forrester, F.A.I.T.H. Carswell & Hope play the recordBar, tonight, April 30, with Wells The Traveler, and Kasey Rausch.

Also joining us was Don Simon of Kansas City Volunteer Lawyers & Accountants for the Arts.

Silly Goose Records (SGR) was originally founded in Ireland in 2010, by Irish musician and songwriter Nick Carswell. The label released several records and supported bands, coordinating national tours, media and television appearances and PR campaigns.

Carswell relocated to Kansas in 2011 and began working with local musicians through the Barrel House piano bar in downtown Lawrence. In January 2013, Silly Goose Records was re-imagined as an independent collective, where artists could collaborate and come together to share experience and resources. Within their first year, bands in the collective have released several EPs, produced and recorded online videos, recorded full-length albums and incorporated as LLCs. More info at http://www.sillygooserecords.org

Nick works for the not-for-profit organization: InterUrban ArtHouse.

On Saturday May 3rd, 2014 local independent music collective Silly Goose Records will present a day of music workshops, panel discussion and info sessions, followed by a live showcase concert at The Bottleneck , 737 New Hampshire St. The event, named MXM2014.

Mix/Master is an opportunity for local musicians, bands and songwriters to connect with industry experts, pick up useful tips to help advance their careers, and to support and celebrate the local music scene. The program is presented in partnership with regional arts non-profits Midwest Music Foundation, Kansas City Volunteer Lawyers & Accountants for the Arts and InterUrban ArtHouse.

The event is sponsored by Ingredient Restaurants, Five Bar & Tables, KJHK 90.7, Ink Magazine and Mass Street Music and is supported by a Community Arts Grant from the Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission.

The day program (from 12 noon to 5pm) will include a presentation on the legal aspects of the music industry, from contracts and copyright, to publishing and revenue streams.

Panelists from the industry will then discuss independent radio, booking, promotions and management, and there will be an opportunity for new bands to get direct feedback on their music in the Demo Dip panel, where their demo may be critiqued live!

At 7:00 pm, the Bottleneck gets back to what it does best with a live music showcase from the artists involved in the Silly Goose collective: The Phantastics, Sunu, Pink Royal, Carswell & Hope , Forrester , F.A.I.T.H. These are just a selection of some of the best talent Lawrence has to offer, to round off the event.

“Lawrence has a fantastic, vibrant music scene, with a huge variety of performers, bands, songwriters and musicians,” says Silly Goose founder and Creative Director, Nick Carswell. “However, the music industry can be tricky and complicated, and it’s hard for bands to know what that next step is for them, in order to keep going with their music. This event is a chance for us to come together, share some experience and knowledge, and help us each figure out what those next steps are, as well as learning how to make the most out of the industry that we already support.”

The bands playing the showcase include:

The Phantastics – Ambassadors of Phunk, Rap, Rock, and Soul. The Phantastics is a seven member musical ensemble that specializes in genre- blending hip-hop. Expect to hear rock, rap, dance, funk, jazz and soul in our music. Formed in December of 2010 They’ve been trying to save live music ever since. http://www.facebook.com/thephantastics

SUNU – a wall of drums, horns and funk. Formed in 2007 in Lawrence, KS this 9 member ensemble mixes afrobeat, jazz, funk, New Orleans street beats and West African dance drumming to create a tasty brew of shake your ass music. http://www.sunumusic.com

Forrester – From the same family of experimental post-rock as Tortoise, Mogwai and Deerhunter comes Forrester, five piece guitar and sample factory from Lawrence, KS. Sprawling soundscapes, pulsing beats and frenetic energy bubble beneath the surface of Forrester’s sound. http://forrester.bandcamp.com/

Pink Royal – sounds that blend ambient rock, electronica, indie synth-pop and all kinds of musical sexiness. Imagine Muse, MGMT, and Radiohead had a steamy musical orgy with Stevie Wonder, and Pink Royal was born 9 months later. Guthrie on lead vocals is an electrifying performer, and is perfectly tuned to the complexity of the songs that belies their outright funkiness and dance groovability. https://www.facebook.com/pinkroyalmusic

Marion Merritt joins us to talk about her new adventure in vinyl, and the opening of, Records With Merritt, at 1614 Westport Rd., KCMO 64111. Records With Merritt opens this Saturday, May 3, 2014 at 11:00 AM.

Marion worked for 18 years as manager of the music department at Barnes & Noble on The Plaza. In January, she left B & N, and made the leap to starting her own independent record store, specializing in vinyl.

For 9 years Marion Merritt has been joining us live on WMM to play her latest musical discoveries and share information from her musically encyclopedic brain.

Marion Merritt will be with us next week as Wednesday MidDay Medley celebrates 10 years on the radio!

Records With Merritt, at 1614 Westport Rd., KCMO an independent record store, specializing in vinyl, opens this weekend. More info at: http://www.recordswithmerritt.com

11:51 – In Memory of Beth

I met Beth in 1990 when she was a regular contributor to The Spoken Word, a weekly live show I produced at Cafe Lulu on West 39th st., near where Beth lived with her girlfriend at that time, Joan. Beth was already a local force, writing & producing her own songs. She had lived in Lawrence and was an early pioneer of the DIY music scene.

Elizabeth “Beth” Scalet, was 65 when passed away, on Sunday, March 16, 2014, at Kansas City Hospice House. Beth was born Sept. 17, 1948, in Ottawa, Kan., the daughter of Walter L. and Jessie M. Tucker Butler. She was a graduate of Ottawa High School and received an MA in English Literature from the University of Kansas. Beth was a technical writer and editor for Continental Health Care and DST Systems. She was a recognized and popular guitar player, singer, songwriter and harmonica player. Beth issued six albums and CDs through her own music company, Marais des Cygnes Music. She was inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame in 2008. She was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, Rex. Beth is survived by her partner, Stephanie LaSalle, and her brothers, Walter “Bill” Butler and Robert “Bob” Butler. [KC Star Obituary]

A Beth Scalet Musical Memorial & Celebration of Her Life, will be held Sunday, May 4, at 5:00 pm, at All Soul’s Unitarian Universalist Church, 4501 Walnut, Kansas City. The Music memorial will be held from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., followed by food and fellowship from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Organizers have added an 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. “open mic” for those many musicians who would like to play a tune to honor Beth Scalet.

Next week on Wednesday, May 7, Wednesday MidDay Medley Celebrates 10 years of weekly radio broadcasts. Marion Merritt returns and together we will share some of our favorite recordings of the last 10 years.

Sources for notes on tracks and interview segments come from: artist’s websites and wikipedia.org and where noted.